Vice-Presidential Election highlights: Venkaiah Naidu has been elected India's 13th Vice-President after securing 516 votes in the election. His contender, former West Bengal governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi, managed to win only 244 votes.

NDA candidate for Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, sharing a light moment with other MPs as he arrives to cast his vote in the Vice Presidential Election, in New Delhi on Saturday. (PTI Photo by Manvender Vashist)

Venkaiah Naidu has been elected India’s 13th Vice-President after securing 516 votes in the election. His contender, former West Bengal governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi, who is also the candidate put forward by a joint Opposition front, managed to win only 244 votes. The voting began at 10 am Saturday and ended at 5 pm this evening. 771 MPs cast their votes; 98.21 polling percentage was recorded. On winning the election, Naidu expressed gratitude to all the MPs who voted for him. “I promise to uphold the Constitution and the high standards set by my esteemed predecessors,” he tweeted. Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to congratulate Naidu and expressed confidence that he will serve the nation with diligence and dedication.

Meanwhile, Gopalkrishna Gandhi, speaking to the media after the results were declared, thanked all the Opposition MPs who voted for him and wished Naidu all the best for the new office.

7:41 pm: BJP president Amit Shah tweets, “Heartiest congratulations to Shri @MVenkaiahNaidu ji on winning the Vice-Presidential poll. The journey of Naidu ji, a farmer’s son, to the office of Vice President is the victory of every small farmer contributing to nations growth. I am sure Naidu ji’s extensive knowledge and vast experience will be a great asset to the office of Vice-President & Rajya Sabha.”

7.40 pm: Here’s a quick breakdown of the numbers: Out of the 771 votes cast in today’s election, Naidu received 516 votes while Gandhi secured 244. 11 votes were found invalid.

Compare these numbers with Hamid Ansari, who has held the position of Vice-President for two consecutive terms. Back in 2007, incumbent Hamid Ansari had bagged 456 votes while Najma Heptullah had won 222 votes and Rashid Masood 75. In 2012, Ansari won 490 votes, beating NDA nominee Jaswant Singh, who got 238 votes.

7:33 pm: Gopalkrishna Gandhi says, “The election saw two victories — one of Naidu, another of free speech; the second victory belongs to all the people of India.

7:30 pm: Union Minister Smriti Irani tweets, “Congratulations to Vice-President Elect @MVenkaiahNaidu ji. We are confident his leadership would further enrich the Office of VP.”

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik also takes to Twitter to congratulate Naidu. He says, “Congratulations to @MVenkaiahNaidu ji on being elected Vice President of India. My best wishes for success in your new responsibilities.”

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath tweets, “Heartiest Congratulations and best wishes to Honourable Shri Venkaiah Naidu on being appointed the Vice President of India.”

7:25 pm: Venkaiah Naidu, reacting to his win, says, “I am very humbled. I am also thankful to the Prime Minister and all party leaders for their support,” reports PTI. “I’ll seek to utilise the Vice-Presidential institution to strengthen hands of President and uphold dignity of the Upper House,” he adds.

7:15 pm: Speaking to the media, Gandhi thanks all the opposition party MPs who voted for him. He wishes Naidu all the best for the new office. “I thank those who voted for me. I was expecting a handsome performance by the united vote of Opposition parties and I’m more than satisfied,” he is quoted as saying by ANI.

7:00 pm: Here’s a quick update of what’s happening: 771 cast their vote in the election for India’s next Vice-President today. Polling percentage was recorded at 98.21 per cent. Counting of votes is underway and the results will be announced shortly. Either Venkaiah Naidu or Gopalkrishna Gandhi will succeed Vice-President Hamid Ansari whose term ends on August 10. Ansari held the post for two consecutive terms.

6:20 pm: Yesterday, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman P J Kurien had said Venkaiah Naidu would win the election. During the parliamentary proceedings, he had said, “He (Venkaiah) is going to be my Chairman.” The Vice President of India is also the Chairman of the Upper House.

6:00 pm: Counting of votes begins. Results likely to be out after 7.00 pm.

5:55 pm: Here’s a quick tally of the missing votes. There were 785 MPs eligible to vote, but only 771 cast their votes. 14 were absent, including Sanwarlal Jat and Vijay Goel from the BJP who are hospitalised and Mausam Noor and Ranee Narah from Congress. From the Trinamool Congress, Kunal Ghosh, Tapas Paul, Pratima Mondal and Abhishek Banerjee did not vote, while Udayan Raje Bhonsle from the NCP was absent too. Dr Anbumani Ramadoss from Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), PK Kunhalikutty and Abdul Wahab from IUML and two Independents, Anu Agha and Naba Kumar Saraniya missed the voting as well.

5:45 pm: Two BJP leaders, Sanwarlal Jat and Vijay Goel, could not vote in the election held today as they are hospitalised, reports PTI.

5.35 pm: Sachin Tendulkar who made a surprise appearance in Parliament this week, cast his vote in the Vice-Presidential elections today. Actor Rekha, who has also been criticised for her low attendance in the Rajya Sabha, cast her vote. Three nominated members, boxer Mary Kom and BJP leaders Roopa Ganguly and Subramanian Swamy voted as well. Click here to see pictures of the voting process.

5:30 pm: Two MPs from the Muslim League, PK Kunhalikutty and Abdul Wahab, were barred from voting in the election as they arrived at Parliament House 10 minutes after polls closed. Kunhalikutty told The Indian Express he left Kozhikode, Kerala, at 7.30 am by an Air India flight but was stuck in Mumbai airport for 5 hours.

5:20 pm: Couting of votes will begin at 6 pm. 771 votes were cast, so that shouldn’t take long!

5:00 pm: Voting for the Vice-Presidential elections has come to an end. Counting will begin shortly, after which the results will be announced. A total of 771 out of 785 MPs cast their vote today. Polling percentage was 98.21 per cent.

4:55 pm: Opposition candidate and former West Bengal governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi today said the fight today is based on constitutional principles. “NDA’s candidate (Venkaiah Naidu) is an experienced person, there is only technically competition between us and nothing personal,” he was quoted as saying by ANI.

4:50 pm: In an opinion piece in The Indian Express today, Chakshu Roy, head of outreach PRS Legislative Research, writes, “The biggest challenge for the new vice president will be to assume a non-partisan role while managing the functioning of the House. The new VP will need to have the confidence of MPs on both sides of the aisle. He will have to play the arbiter between political parties and set the benchmark for non-partisan conduct.” You can read the entire piece here.

4:40 pm: In case you’re wondering, there are 790 members in the electoral college comprising of elected and nominated MPs in the Lok Saba and Rajya Sabha. However, there are two vacancies in each house and one BJP Lok Sabha MP is barred from voting. Hence, there are 785 members eligible to vote in today’s election. So far, 761 have.

4:15 pm: Here’s a quick roundup if you’re just joining us. Polling for the Vice-Presidential elections began at 10 am this morning and will conclude at 5 pm. Till 3 pm, nearly 97 per cent voting or 761 of 785 members had voted. The results are likely to be announced by 7 pm. Members of both Houses of Parliament, the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha are eligible to cast their votes. NDA candidate and former union minister Venkaiah Naidu is pitted against Opposition nominee Gopalkrishna Gandhi.

The NDA has 337 MPs in the Lok Sabha and 80 in the Rajya Sabha. Naidu is expected to get 484 of the total 790 votes — parties like AIADMK, YSRCP and TRS, which have extended their support, together account for 67 MPs.

Gopalkrishna Gandhi will get votes of MPs of Congress, NCP, Trinamool, SP, BSP, JD(U), RJD, DMK and other smaller parties which are aligned against the NDA.

11:10 am: Gopalkrishna Gandhi dismissed reports of the contest being ‘one-sided’, cites instance of Meira Kumar getting so many votes in the Presidential election.

11:00 am:Manohar Parrikar told reporters that he will miss him in one place although they will see more of Naidu in another place as the chairman of the Rajya Sabha.

The voting will go on till 5 in the evening. The counting will then begin and the final result will come in by 6:30-7 pm.

10 am: Naidu has now reached the Parliament complex where he will cast his vote. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also at the spot. In the presidential election, he was the first one to cast his vote.

9:50 am: We are hearing that members of both Houses are already lining up to vote in the VP election. Remember, this is a closed ballot.

9:43 am: Naidu, on his way to the voting booth in Parliament, told reporters that he was confident about his chances. “I am known to all members of Parliament & they are known to me,thats why I’m not even campaigning,” he told ANI. Naidu, who resigned from the BJP and the union cabinet, said he was a non-party man and that he believed that leaders from other parties will support him. Read more here.

9:40 am: The voting will begin at 10 am. Only the members of both Houses of Parliament are allowed to vote. It will be a closed ballot. The voting is likely to take place along expected party lines. Since the NDA has a numerical majority in the Lok Sabha, the stakes are tilted towards Naidu. However, Gopalkrishna Gandhi, the former governor of West Bengal, is expected to give a tough fight.

9:30 am: Welcome to the live blog where we track all the updates from the vice-presidential election happening today in Parliament. The voting and counting will take place today.

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